Compare the2024 Land Rover Discovery SportVS 2024 Lexus RX

Both the Discovery Sport and RX have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Discovery Sport has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The RX’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Discovery Sport. But it costs extra on the RX.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Discovery Sport has standard Rear Traffic Monitor with Rear Traffic Braking, systems which detect vehicles approaching from the sides and can automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision. Parking Support Brake costs extra on the RX.

Both the Discovery Sport and the RX have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

The Discovery Sport’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 36 lbs.-ft. more torque (269 vs. 233) than the RX 350h’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

Both the Discovery Sport and the RX have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stoplights and heavy traffic. All Discovery Sports have a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily. The RX 350h/500h doesn’t offer a way to disable start/stop.

The Discovery Sport has 3.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the RX 450+’s standard fuel tank (17.7 vs. 14.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the Land Rover Discovery Sport, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the RX.

For better stopping power the Discovery Sport’s standard front brake rotors are larger than those on the RX:

For better traction, the Discovery Sport’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the RX (245/45R21 vs. 235/60R19).

The Discovery Sport’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the RX’s optional 50 series tires.

The Discovery Sport has a standard full size spare (not available on 7-Passenger) so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the RX; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

The Discovery Sport has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The RX base model’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

The Discovery Sport S handles at .82 G’s, while the RX 350 AWD pulls only .75 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Discovery Sport S executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.2 seconds quicker than the RX 350h (27.4 seconds @ .64 average G’s vs. 28.6 seconds @ .57 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Discovery Sport has a greater minimum ground clearance than the RX 350 (8.3 vs. 8.1 inches), allowing the Discovery Sport to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Discovery Sport’s minimum ground clearance is .1 inch higher than on the RX 350h (8.3 vs. 8.2 inches).

The Discovery Sport is 11.5 inches shorter than the RX, making the Discovery Sport easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Discovery Sport offers optional seating for 7 passengers; the RX can only carry 5.

The Discovery Sport has .1 inches more rear headroom and .7 inches more rear legroom than the RX.

The Discovery Sport’s cargo area provides more volume than the RX.

The Discovery Sport’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the RX’s (4409 vs. 0 pounds).

To better shield the driver and front passenger’s vision, the Discovery Sport has standard dual-element sun visors that can block glare from two directions simultaneously. The RX doesn’t offer secondary sun visors.

The Discovery Sport has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the vehicle heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the RX.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Land Rover Discovery Sport has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Wireless charging costs extra on the RX.

Insurance will cost less for the Discovery Sport owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Discovery Sport will cost $495 less than the RX over a five-year period.